Conflicts of Interest in Biomedical Research
We are all familiar with conflicts of interest in politics, the judiciary and commercial settings, yet the issue is gaining importance in science - particularly biomedical science. This is no surprise with the growing emphasis on industrial collaboration and commercialisation of research. All too likely, we are witnessing an evolution in the way we define the scientific enterprise - as a profession or a service - and conflicts of interest will take centre-stage in this process.

Draining the Goodwill of Science: The Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing Industry in East Asia
East Asia - long home to the "Asian parent obsessed with kids out-competing peers" stereotype - is a veritable goldmine for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Genetic Testing. Through a combination of marketing and pseudoscience, more and more DTC testing companies are exploiting parental paranoia and widespread ignorance of factual evidence, in order to make a quick buck. Testing for genetic diseases may appear more necessary and credible than dubious tests for "inborn talent", but the latter is calling into question the entire enterprise of genetic testing. Science is once again threatened by fears of neo-eugenics movements, and it is up to scientists, government and industry to tackle the mis-information at its roots.